Seahawks top most NFL power rankings, but look who’s next

NFL power rankings, as meaningless as they are, can be an interesting measure of how pro football reporters around the nation view the Seahawks. The rankings can swing wildly early in the season, based on a tough loss or a bad performance.

But now the rankings made by national media and major newspapers are sorting themselves out.

The Seahawks are No. 1 in most, but not all, power rankings I found. Of 16 power rankings, Seattle was No. 1 in 12, and no lower than No. 4 anywhere.

The undefeated Cincinnati Bengals were No. 1 in the other four rankings. The Broncos, Chargers and unbeaten Cardinals are the consensus top five. So the Seahawks have beaten one top-five team (Denver) and lost to another (San Diego).

But I’m curious where you think the Seahawks — and the rest of the pack — should be ranked right now. Here’s my top five, for what it’s worth: 1, Seahawks; 2, Bengals; 3, Broncos; 4, Cardinals; 5, Packers.

But, of course, the power rankings don’t really mean a thing, remember?

Seahawks comment: If everyone agrees that a player is “underrated,” does that mean he is no longer underrated? We’ve probably reached that point in the discussion with Seattle LB Bobby Wagner, who lives in the shadows of Richard Sherman and Earl Thomas but may be every bit as good as rising stars such as Lavonte David and Luke Kuechly.

Wagner, to the Seattle Times this summer: “I don’t like the term ‘underrated.’ That’s like saying someone is better than you expected. Well, I want the expectation for me to be high.”

Seahawks comment: As I mentioned above, many people were frustrated over the Seahawks not being No. 1 after hanging on in Week 3 to beat the Broncos in OT (thanks, in part, to a coin flip). I guess losses mean nothing anymore? For the record, I have Seattle returning to the Super Bowl. That said, in the Power Rankings, we can only call what we see to this point. All told, a top-five slot right now is a testament to how solid Pete Carroll‘s roster really is. The ‘Hawks aren’t playing their best football. What happens when they do?

Seahawks comment: The defending champs return from their bye week needing to demonstrate that they can play at the same level on the road as at home. They will have three such opportunities in their next four games, beginning Monday night against (Washington) at FedEx Field. QB Russell Wilson should be looking forward to facing a Washington secondary that was exploited badly by Eli Manning and the Giants last Thursday night.

Seahawks comment: With a bye week, the Super Bowl champs hold on to the top spot because … who’s better? The statistics might not bear it out, but the eye test tells a story that the Seahawks are still the team to beat.

Seahawks comment:The early bye week is not ideal for a team looking to build momentum, but it might allow them to install some new packages for an offense that hasn’t looked as efficient over the last two games. The defending champions boast a dominant defensive line with the depth to withstand injuries and arguably the best secondary in the league.

Seahawks-related comment: No comment on Seattle, but here’s one on the 49ers: San Francisco moves back into the top 10, and does so on the back of a dominant defensive beatdown of the previously undefeated Philadelphia Eagles. Chip Kelly’s explosive, injury-decimated offense could not get anything done, managing only 213 total yards and 3.8 yards per play. The Niners appear to have gotten their mojo back on defense, and now they just have to get some consistency on offense and special teams to keep moving up. Crazily enough, even with that San Francisco defensive performance, the Eagles were actually in a position to take the lead very late in the game before the Niners put up a goal-line stand, so for now, balance is a big red flag for San Francisco.

Seahawks comment: A Week 4 bye may be a bad thing for many teams, but after facing the San Diego Chargers and Denver Broncos in back-to-back weeks, the Seattle Seahawks are likely happy for the chance to rest up this week.

With no game for Seattle, Denver or the Cincinnati Bengals, our No. 1 team stays the same this week. Come Week 5, though, the Seahawks must travel to Washington for a Monday night game. That’s nearly two weeks off the field and a long trip across the country.

It’s a very winnable game on paper, but it also has all the makings of a trap game for Seattle.

Want to be a reader contributor to The Seattle Times’ Take 2 blog? Email your original, previously unpublished work or proposal to Sports Editor Don Shelton at dshelton@seattletimes.com or sports@seattletimes.com. Not all submissions can be published. Opinions expressed are those of authors, and The Times reserves the right to edit and publish any submissions online and/or in print.

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Want to be a reader contributor to The Seattle Times’ Take 2 blog? Email your original, previously unpublished work or proposal to Sports Editor Don Shelton at dshelton@seattletimes.com or sports@seattletimes.com. Not all submissions can be published. The Times reserves the right to edit and publish any submissions online and/or in print.